RPlog:Lecture on Imperial Leadership
---- Sitting at his desk reviewing a few datapads before the session in a few minutes, Krieg takes the opportunity to get a drink and prepare the room. With the lights in their full setting it was very much so like a classroom; new chairs had been brought into the room and a bigger holoprojector was in the front of the room on his desk. Getting up he finishes his glass of water and then walks to the side of his desk, awaiting those that would be attending the session. Lieutenant Vextin Mandor is early to arrive at the Commodore's office. He wouldn't want to keep his senior officer waiting, and he was interested in seeing what Inrokana had to say. A learning experience, definitely. Now wearing an olive-gray uniform, having been transferred from the SFC to the Navy as per Krieg's orders, Vextin enters the office and stops after several steps inside, snapping to attention. "Sir." He salutes Krieg, and holds it until otherwise directed. His hands nestled in each other behind his back protectively, Ashden soon found himself at an office. It had been quite the busy week for him and his classmates, and his finger still twitched on occasion. He had the pleasure of clearing three of their schedules eternally, and now he found himself entering the office behind a Lieutenant. The galaxy really had thrown him quite the odd set of cards. Ashden to observe the proper formalities of a salute, addressing his senior officers after having stopped just behind the man in front. "Sir." He spoke clearly, his gaze scanning from left to right. Liza steps into the room just after Vextin and Ashden, the woman coming to attention and saluting as does the two men she stands just behind. "Sir...” she says as she too salutes, her posture perfect and her gaze coming to just above Krieg's shoulder. Returning the salute to all those that enter, Krieg nods to each one individually with eye contact, starting with Vextin first. He gestures to the seats in the room to all the officers and cadets that have gathered. "Please, everyone, at ease. Have a seat." He keeps his posture formal and precise as he addresses all of those that have gathered here. "First of all, I would like to welcome you all to the first of the training sessions we are having throughout the task force. If you don't know already, my name is Krieg Inrokana, and I'll be speaking with you all about the formalities of leadership within our force." A gesture towards Vextin, "Also assisting me in more ways than one is Lieutenant Vextin Mandor, here to my left, your right. He'll be supplementing what I have to say to you all. Now..." Looking once again to each person he locks eyes with them to emphasize he was speaking to each of them on their own level, even to their new cadet here. "Are there any questions before we start?" Vextin lowers his salute, and takes a seat as directed. As Krieg introduces Vextin, he merely nods his head. "I'm always here to help, sir." He sits up in the chair, folding his hands in his lap as Krieg begins his "class." Although he doesn't actually fly a starfighter, he knows enough about their operations and tactics to assist. Vextin has made an effort to include the upcoming major operation he had implemented in the training regimen, or has requested it, at least. He doesn't want his master design to start with ill-prepared pilots and troops. "No sir, no questions." Ashden offered a small smile as his hands pulled from behind his back, only to have his fingers interlace as he took a seat. His posture was firm, rigid even as he sat tall and looked across the desk to the Commodore. A slight movement of his head left and right, followed by a brief "No, Sir." and a casual glance towards the nearby window. His attention immediately shifted back to the task at hand as he readied himself to listen. Liza smiles to the Commodore, knowing just who the man is despite his introduction as she has spoken with the man more than once. "No sir. I have no questions at this time." Her arms drift easily behind her back while her stance widens slightly, just about shoulder's width apart, the stance kept for a moment until a seat is picked and sat down upon. Hearing all the responses come back negative Krieg nods one last time and then turns to pick up a datapad on his desk and activate the holoprojector. An image comes up of the Imperial starburst; the backdrop of the image is Selene through the viewport at the back of his office. Looking back to his audience he says, "Excellent. I'd like to start out today with a discussion of group cohesion and discipline. I feel that without these, we are individuals trying to each fight our own war. The point to a squadron and a task force is to come together and fight as a team, thus making us a force unstoppable to any that may oppose us. I do know that Officer Molokai has seen these effects. If you could share with the group what happened to you?" Giving her a moment to respond he adds, "Throughout this session any is free to add comments. I'd also like to have Vextin talk here in a moment after officer Molokai about discipline, and what level of professionalism on duty and off duty should be expected of a leader and a follower." Liza takes the initiative and speaks, her cheeks coloring as she does so. "Well, I went out to investigate a probe that was picked up on ships sensors and I didn't have my wingman with me. Wound up ambushed and needed to be rescued by the Commodore and by Wolf, as well." She winces once that's said, the girl still suffering no small amount of embarrassment over the events that unfolded due to her sloppiness and her being cocky. Vextin nods his head and simply readjusts his glasses. "Discipline? Professionalism? The essence of a true soldier, sir," he says. "All those seemingly pointless drills in basic training, saluting your superiors - elements of discipline that make the individual soldier in the Empire. Every soldier is expected to carry out his duty without question, and to do so to the best of his or her abilities. Discipline keeps the soldier in line, keeps them ready, and prepared for any contingency. Even with all our numbers, and all our military technology, the Empire would be nothing more than a ragtag collection of grunts thrown into a conflict, not knowing their ass from their face, if they haven't been drilled to be disciplined, to act professional." A brow rose at the notion of Wolf on a rescue operation, thoughts of their meeting tumbling through Ashden's head. Now was neither the time nor the place to be thinking about that man, in any context. He simply nodded to the words of each, finding some truth in them. As a thoroughly indoctrinate unit of the SAGoup and a student of SAGed Ashden found the concept of disobedience utterly foreign. Free will, as it was, was a concept lost upon this machine, willingly and of a choice never truly presented. He would remain silent until such a time as he had a question or was asked one. Folding his arms across his chest Krieg replies to both Vextin and Keline, "Indeed, Lieutenant. Though I have no doubts that you are all loyal beyond question and are disciplined when it comes to combat, it troubles me that some act unprofessional while on duty, or let their off duty activities interfere with things it should not. As Officer Molokai has stated here, she has learned a valuable lesson in taking on our foe as a team. What I am trying to point out here is that without professionalism we will lack good order and discipline. Lacking this we face our enemy much as Officer Molokai has - her mission was a NR trap by the way. The enemy knows that when they single us out they will win. It is our job to instill in ourselves and in those we command the importance of this fight. It is this fight that often is more deadly than actually facing the enemy as it is silent and cannot be openly seen." Looking to Ashden he remarks, "I am sure our cadet here has much to say about this, and what they do to combat such a foe." Rank, it was the wonderful barrier that kept Ashden's temper at bay. Still one could see a spark in his eyes, a fanatic nature poked and otherwise annoyed by the prospect of failure, much less at the hands of a hated enemy. "With all due respect Sir, if our instructors are doing their jobs properly I would expect Imperial soldiers and pilots to act both precisely and readily. The affectionately dubbed NR uses cowardice as their weapon of choice, whereas the Empire shows vigilance. Death for the the Emperor is a matter of bringing him glory, and so long as we cut swaths of our enemy in the process I see no shame in fulfilling that integral need." He answered, pacing his speech as to keep from being rash. Ashden had the passion and urge to become a pilot, though most every other aspect of his being was that of ISB prodigy. Looking at Ashden for a moment, Liza smirks at him before she returns to looking at the Commodore, nodding quickly to his statement - she has definitely learned her lesson. "It was...a very humbling experience," she eventually mutters, her eyes lowering to her lap as she says that. Apparently the dangerous situation she found herself in still has her kind of spooked but, as she has also seen, sometimes you can work as a group and still get into trouble. She almost says something else to the Commodore but then she finds her words stolen from her as Ashden speaks anew and she sighs, deciding to keep herself quiet. Listening to both of them he now shows them a new path. "Yes Officer Molokai, the team may fail - but what is failure?" Looking to Ashden and then to the whole group he continues, "If you take the old doctrine of doing something until you destroy yourself - you have failed, but have received your reward of death for such failure. Yes, our cadet is very enlightened to the way of combat and I do agree with him that there should not be a question left as to one's duty. It is sessions like these that we come home to Selene and steel our vigor and fight once more. Prolonged combat in space has a dulling effect on the mind and the blind obedience is prone to actual failure - failure of the mind, body and mission. We always strive for the ideal, but it is just that; we always strive for it. Humans are prone to error and it must be accounted for through discipline. However, as an effective fighting force I cannot condone the thinking of blind obedience. I am here now telling you all that as commanders and officers, you all must think for yourselves. You will have your orders, and you will have your goals to strive for. Blindly running into a trap and killing yourself and your unit does me no good, and I am forced to send many more in your place. It is better for the Empire to have a unit sent, find that it cannot win and return - I still have pilots to send and much more information on the enemy, their movements, and who they send against us. On the other end cowardice is not to be tolerated, and will be dealt with severely. Thus is discipline and professionalism - knowing your duty and executing it to your full ability. As much as the Empire has expanded we no longer have unlimited resources; doctrine has changed and we must adapt to the new battlefield." Looking directly at Liza and Ashden he asks them directly, "Am I wrong in this?" "No. you’re very correct, sir...” Liza murmurs softly, her eyes downcast, still. It is almost as if she has difficulties looking anyone in the eyes, currently but she eventually does, everyone taken in before she manages to smile again. "Cohesion and teamwork is the key. Communication and trust as well as being able to work with those who are a part of your squadron are paramount." That has her blinking for a moment before she nods, the slow bobbing of her head done in self-affirmation as if answering some inner-dialogue. "That is something I feel we have an advantage on over the NR. We're strong on many levels." Ashden took a moment to contemplate, thinking of what Colonel Desson might tell him in this very situation. The words of the man before him held wisdom found in experience, though Ashden couldn't help but wonder if his ferocity had been quelled. Everywhere the young cadet looked he found such sentiments, save perhaps in the immaculate heart of the ISB located on this very ship. "Tactical readiness, knowledge, and resourcefulness are all traits of a good soldier or officer. There is no denying that it would be utterly senseless to die for a worthless cause. I merely maintain that it is not my place or that of any good soldier to make that decision themselves unless their commanding officers are all counted dead or traitors. The ISB has methods for dealing with those who decide to think for themselves excessively, and I think that a show of their example strengthens both will and resolve. That being said we are of course parts of a greater whole, working together towards the Emperor's vision is the end goal, and so long as I have the company of such fine leadership I'm sure I'll be better prepared to make that vision a reality." He answered, taking some slight displeasure in the female's lack of confidence. He'd offered the compliment as a courtesy to the officers present, though his eyes met hers in the most subtle of attempts to cheer her up. Some might consider the chuckles that emanates from Krieg to be evil or devious, his demeanor one that breaks his stoic professionalism for only a few moments, lingering as he speaks. "Very good, and indeed you have caught what I meant. Our cadet here is most correct; there is a fine line between sound thinking and strategy and taking it upon one's self to go and do what they please to seek glory. We are here for a strict purpose, and to that end every commander must adhere to what they are ordered to do. When I say think for yourself is that when the unexpected and fog of war fall over the battlefield that each and every one of you are ordered to flex the plan in order to accomplish your goals. When you are sent out on any mission you are given objectives to accomplish. How you achieve them is up to you." Shifting and moving across to the center of the room he uses the holoprojector to show images of the precision of the Task Force. "We are a precise and lethal instrument of war, tooled by the finest the Empire has to offer. I send many of you out to fight and achieve what the Empire seeks. I liken the ability to think to achieve a goal to a surgeon tasked with killing a man. He has a scalpel, his instrument of war. He could move the knife across the being many times, but only serving to dull the blade. After several new blades the being would die. This would be an example of blind obedience. Thinking, in this case would look like this: he takes his instrument of war and strikes the enemy at vital points, the jugular for example. The being dies quickly and the blade is not dulled." Looking to Liza he comments, "I do not promote or allow people into positions of leadership or command knowing that they will destroy my squadrons that have been finely trained as instruments of war. I assign those that can think and wield the power the way it is meant, bringing the best possible result for the glory of the Empire. A strict elitist, Ashden found himself agreeing on the most part with what his superior had to say. He had never thought of the Imperial divisions as anything less than meticulous, perfect. The realization that even the Empire had specialized task forces was both daunting and amusing. It was hard to imagine that such a perfect engine could wield even better parts, much less how any force could possibly hold against it. "Forgive me Sir, I didn't mean to imply inability." He offered the apology honestly, his gaze softening only slightly. Something about the evil chuckle seemed to soothe the young man, as if it had slipped him comfortably back into his natural element. Liza listens intently, the words absorbed and drank like water given to a dying being, taken in and held onto as if her very life depended on her doing so, which, in a very real way, it does. But for as how carefully she listens she doesn't speak, her mind too busy with what the Commodore just said and what Ashden said in reply to come up with any reply of her own. But, using her expression as a guide, it is very easy to see that she agrees. With that same smile he had a moment ago Krieg grins looking to those gathered. Directing his gaze to Ashden he responds to the cadet, "No apology necessary, we are all here to learn and expand upon the knowledge each holds. As I said earlier any instrument that has been used over time will get dull; we are here to re-sharpen and be applied once again in the near future." It is that statement some may take as another major operation is coming up, but he alludes to it no further as he talks to everyone once again. The holoprojector is turned off and he drops his arms to fold them now behind him in the small of his back. "I am glad we all are able to better understand the things we need to accomplish; notes from this session will be available to all, and I thank you all for coming. If there aren't any further questions, this will be all. I know many of you have training missions to attend soon to hone your skills in combat further." "A pleasure, Sir." He responded in turn, for he had no real questions of note. Getting a hold of notes on the matters discussed would be a good idea. Of course one thing persisted, but it would require a bit of privacy. Standing he turned to the others, glancing at them before looking to the Commodore. "Sir, if it wouldn't inconvenience you... I'd like to talk to you privately." He asked, hoping that he wouldn't be offending or disrupting a schedule. Liza Stands up and smiles, coming to attention as soon as Krieg says that is all, the Sarian apparently not having any questions at the moment. "I have no questions at the time, sir, but I will get in touch with you if any should arise." She smiles to them before stepping away from her chair but she does not exit the room until the Commodore dismisses them. Seeing that there were no further questions he nods to the group. "That will be all then. You are dismissed. I will be here for a while should any of you wish to speak to me further." Stepping around his desk he moves to take a seat, sliding up in his chair to organize a few datapads and start to think about what else he needed to do that day. There were a few training missions he would be a part of, along with getting the awards ceremony and such ready for the following day. There were many awards deserved and even more so was the list of promotions to happen.